Wednesday, March 20, 2013

I’ve worked in journalism going on
forty years now as both writer and editor for newspapers and magazines. I can
honestly say thousands of news releases have crossed my desk over the years,
and it never ceases to amaze me how poorly done most of them are, even many sent
out by polished writers, marketers, and PR pros. They miss promotional
opportunities because they fail to remember three basic principals.

Never
forget your audience, who you need to impress with your news release–the
editors who decide if your news release will see the light of publication.
What does that editor need to interest his or her readership?

Provide an
editor with reasons why your news release would be of interest to his or
her readers.

Compose the
news release in a functional format an editor can easily use. A news
release is a tool, not a work of art. The point is to get the information
it contains into print and generate follow up interest. Do not expect your
news release to be published verbatim.

Here are six tips to compose an
effective news release:

A news
release has two purposes: a) To get the basic information into print; b)
to interest an editor into generating more copy about the subject matter,
a feature article on the author, perhaps, or coverage of the event you are
promoting.

A news
release should be written in third person, not first. A is doing B at C,
etc. That can easily be transferred into a publication. Something written
as “I will be appearing at someplace with my new novel on…” will need a
rewrite which an editor may or may not have time to do. You don’t want
your news release ending up in the editor’s To Do When I find the Time pile.

Make sure
you have all the facts stated clearly: What are you promoting, who are you
promoting, where is it happening, when is it happening, and why anyone
should care. The why is rather tricky and should be tailored to each
publication you are contacting. And always provide contact information to
encourage follow up.

Research
the editors/publications you are contacting. Know what they are looking
for and make sure your news release fulfills those needs. For example, if
you are contacting a local newspaper, make sure you mention a “local”
reason why that paper should publish the information you are providing.
What is the local connection?

State the
facts clearly: Jane Doe will be signing her new book “I’m Finally Published”
at the Plenty of Books store in This City from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday,
July 20. And so on.

Attribute
statements of opinion as direct quotes from a named person. Instead of
writing “Jane Doe will be signing her marvelous and exciting new book ‘I’m
Finally Published’ at the Plenty of Books store in This City from 10 a.m.
to noon, Saturday, July 20” write an additional sentence like this: “Jane
Doe has written a marvelous and exciting new book,” said Owen Owner of
Plenty of Books. Using attributes like that are the best way to get more
promotional material through the editorial filter and into print.

Here’s an example on how
to format a news release to promote the release of a new book.

WEST BEND, Wis. – Local
novelist Lisa Lickel has published her second book in her popular Buried
Treasure Series. The Map Quilt is a sweet romantic, cozy mystery like Lisa’s
first book in the series, The Gold Standard,” said MuseItUp Publication’s
editor Anne Duguid.

The Map Quilt is now
available online and will soon be out in paperback, Lickel said.

“Death in rural Wisconsin
is only the beginning to new chaos in Robertsville, the new home of my
protagonist, school teacher Judy Wingate,” Lickel said. “The story revolves
around a stolen innovative new battery, a long-buried skeleton, and an old
quilt that contains its own secrets. Judy and her
husband Hart unravel the murder of Hart’s boss and how Judy’s ancestors were
once part of the Underground Railroad.”

Lisa Lickel is a Wisconsin
writer who lives with her husband in a 160-year-old house built by a Great
Lakes ship captain. Surrounded by books and dragons, she writes mystery and
romance novels, all with a touch of grace.

She also edits, writes
book reviews and interviews, and has penned dozens of short stories, magazine
articles, feature stories for newspapers, and radio theater scripts. She is
editor in chief of Creative Wisconsin, the literary magazine of the Wisconsin
Writers Association, and of Other Sheep, a Christian science fiction and
fantasy magazine.

Her website is
LisaLickel.com.

About Dave Rank:

A working journalist in Wisconsin for 39
years, David J. Rank writes for and has edited newspapers, magazines, books,
and corporate publications. He’s also sold or placed freelance articles and
news releases in trade, regional and national publications. Vice president of
the Wisconsin Writers Association and active in local writing groups, Rank has
had more than 25 short stories published online and in regional literary
publications.

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